Guidelines for Strengthening Indigenous Languages
GUIDELINES FOR STRENGTHENING INDIGENOUS LANGAUGES
D R A F T
The following guidelines address issues associated with perpetuating and strengthening the use of indigenous languages in Alaska. The guidelines are organized around various roles related to language education and use, including those of Elders, parents, communities, professional educators, education agencies, linguists, and the language learners themselves. Special attention is given to the educational implications for the integration of indigenous language learning in schools throughout Alaska. The guidance offered in the following pages is intended to provide assistance to the local Language Advisory Committees created under Senate Bill 103 that are responsible for making recommendations regarding the future of the heritage language in their community. It is hoped that these guidelines will help to strengthen the everyday use of indigenous languages throughout Alaska and encourage educational support to that end.
Native educators from throughout the state contributed to the development of these guidelines through a series of workshops and meetings associated with the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative. Representatives of the Native educator organizations listed on the cover participated in the meetings and ratified the final document. The purpose of these guidelines is to offer assistance to educational personnel and others who are seeking to incorporate the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools (including those for students and communities) in their work. Using these guidelines will expand the knowledge base and range of insights and expertise available to help schools and communities nurture and pass on their cultural heritage with respect and integrity.
Throughout this document, Elders are accorded a central role as the primary source of language expertise and cultural knowledge. It should be understood that the identification of "Elders" as culture-bearers is not simply a matter of chronological age, but a function of the respect accorded to individuals in each community who exemplify the values and lifeways of the local culture and who possess the wisdom and willingness to pass their knowledge on to future generations. Respected Elders serve as the philosophers, professors and visionaries of a cultural community. In addition, many aspects of cultural knowledge can be learned from other members of a community who have not yet been recognized as Elders, but seek to practice and teach local lifeways in a culturally appropriate manner.
Along with these "guidelines" are a set of "general recommendations" aimed at stipulating the kind of steps that need to be taken to achieve the goals that have been outlined, as well as reference material to assist in that endeavor. State and federal agencies, universities, school districts and Native communities are all encouraged to review their policies, programs and practices and to adopt these guidelines and recommendations wherever appropriate. In so doing, the educational , linguistic and cultural development of students throughout Alaska will be enriched and the future well-being of the communities being served will be enhanced.
Further information on issues related to the implementation of these guidelines, as well as additional copies may be obtained from the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775 (http://www.ankn.uaf.edu).
Guidelines for Native Elders
Respected Native Elders are the essential resources through whom the heritage language of a community and the meaning it is intended to convey can be learned.
Native Elders can strengthen their heritage language through the following actions:
a. Take an active role in local and regional Elders Councils as a way to help formulate, document and pass on language traditions for future generations.
b. Keep the language alive by using it as much as possible in everyday activities as well as in ceremonial events.
c. Make a point to utilize traditional ways of knowing, teaching, listening and learning in passing on the language to younger generations in the community, so they come to understand how the language is integrated with all aspects of the culture, especially the spiritual traditions and the rules for living a proper life.
d. Serve as a role model for young people by practicing and reinforcing traditional values and using the heritage language to maintain spiritual traditions of the community.
e. Assist new parents in providing opportunities for their children (as well as the parents themselves) to grow up hearing their heritage language spoken in the home and community.
f. Support the use of traditional naming practices and help children and parents understand the significance of the names they have acquired.
g. Assist willing members of the community to acquire the ability to use the heritage language on an everyday basis, including serving as a mentor to those wishing to learn the language.
h. Be tolerant and patient with the way novice language learners speak the language and be encouraging of their efforts.
i. Help make explicit and incorporate traditional cultural values in all aspects of life in the community, especially those involving the use of the heritage language.
j. Use traditional terms and practices of recognition, welcoming, kinship and respect when greeting and addressing others, in the home as well as in community events.
k.
Guidelines for Parents
Parents are the first teachers of their children and provide the foundation on which the language learning of future generations rests.
Parents can strengthen their heritage language through the following actions:
a. Take a proactive role in promoting the learning and use of the heritage language in the home, school and community.
b. Provide a loving, healthy and supportive environment for each child to learn their heritage language as a natural part of growing up, making sure they hear (and speak) the language as much as possible.
c. Seek out fluent language speakers in the community who can serve as role models for learning and using the heritage language on an everyday basis.
d. Become fully informed on the implications of first- and second-language learning and the benefits of children growing up multi-lingual, and volunteer to assist in the language program in the school.
e. Make use of traditional naming practices where appropriate and help each child understand the significance of the names they carry.
f. Help children understand their family history and the heritage(s) that shape who they are and form their identity.
g. Make use of locally appropriate rituals and ceremonies to reinforce critical events in children's lives.
h. Read materials to children in the heritage language whenever possible, including transcripts of Elder's Conferences, traditional stories, family histories, children's literature, songs, etc..
i. Teach children to use traditional kinship terms in referring to members of their family and community, and to understand the meaning of those terms.
j. Be an active and full participant in all aspects of a child's up-bringing, including joint learning of the heritage language (if not already a fluent speaker) as a way of demonstrating the importance of the effort.
k. Believe in your child's ability to learn the language and support them in doing so.
l. Recognize that language is a reflection of, and directly impacts ones world view.
m.
Guidelines for Aspiring Language Learners
Indigenous language learners must take an active role in learning their heritage language and assume responsibility for the use of that language as contributing members of the family and community in which they live.
Language learners can strengthen their heritage language through the following actions:
a. Take the initiative and create opportunities to listen to and speak the heritage language whenever possible, especially by interacting with fluent speakers.
b. Set aside special times and places where people can come and practice their language skills by participating in purposeful conversation with others under supportive, non-threatening circumstances (e.g., Gwich'in Saturday morning coffee table in Fairbanks).
c. Seek out a fluent language speaker who is willing to serve as a mentor and make arrangements to work with that person on a continuing basis engaged in language-intensive activities (e.g., Tanana Chiefs Conference Mentor-Apprentice Program).
d. Learn to appreciate the complexity of language use as a way to help sustain the level of commitment needed to gain speaking fluency and the associated literacy skills.
e. Show a preference for respectful use of the heritage language in all appropriate situations with other speakers.
f. Whenever possible, sit next to an Elder.
g. Practice learning through teaching.
h.
Guidelines for Native Communities and Organizations
Native communities and organizations must provide a healthy and supportive environment that reinforces the learning and use of the heritage language on an everyday basis.
Communities can strengthen their heritage language through the following actions:
a. Provide encouragement to all community members to use their heritage language on a regular basis and to assist anyone who is interested in learning the language, especially young children.
b. Reinforce the importance of the heritage language through the incorporation of traditional terminology, language and protocols in all aspects of community life and organizational practices.
c. Begin all community events and gatherings with an invocation and speech in the heritage language by a respected Elder.
d. Promote active participation of community members in all discussions related to use and maintenance of the local language, including the Language Curriculum Advisory Committees established through SB 103, and seek as much consensus as possible on the role of the heritage language in the community.
e. Set realistic goals for how the heritage language is to be used and supported in the community, taking into account the various points of view that are represented.
f. Establish a local and/or regional Language Commission to provide guidance and support for all aspects of heritage language documentation and revitalization, including decisions regarding training and certification of language teachers, maintenance of traditional patterns of grammar and syntax, and a screening process for new words and word forms.
g. Promote traditional story-telling gatherings that help people learn the significance of the heritage language to gain full understanding of a stories meaning.
h. Promote regular heritage language programming on all radio and television outlets in the region.
i. Support publication of heritage language translations of local news and other print materials related to life in the surrounding community and region.
j. Provide simultaneous translation equipment and services at all meetings so the heritage language can be used freely and without interruption.
k. Implement the "community" responsibilities outlined in the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools.
l.
Guidelines for Educators
Professional educators are responsible for providing a supportive learning environment that reinforces the wishes of the parents and community for the language learning of the students in their care.
Professional educators can help strengthen the heritage language through the following actions::
a. Make effective use of local expertise, especially Elders, as co-teachers whenever local language and cultural knowledge is being addressed in the curriculum.
b. Make every effort to utilize locally relevant curriculum materials with which students can readily identify, including materials prepared by Native authors.
c. Participate in local and regional Immersion Camps to acquire first-hand familiarity and understanding of traditional language and cultural ways and their meaning in contemporary life.
d. Develop culturally appropriate approaches to first- and second-language teaching in accordance with the language history and aspirations of the local community.
e. Create an immersion environment wherever possible to provide a natural learning context for language learning.
f. Take steps to recognize and validate all aspects of the knowledge students bring with them, and assist them in their on-going quest for personal and cultural affirmation.
g. Provide sufficient flexibility in scheduling Elder participation so they are able to fully share what they know with minimal interference by the clock, and provide enough advance notice for them to make the necessary preparations.
h. Align all subject matter with the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools and develop curriculum models that are based on the local cultural and environmental experiences of the students.
i. Provide assistance in instructional methodologies for heritage language teachers when they are having difficulty with their teaching practices - language teaching doesn't always come naturally.
j. For heritage language speakers, acquire reading and writing proficiency in the heritage language to serve as a model and to be able to assist students in developing their own literacy skills.
k.
Guidelines for Schools
Schools must be fully engaged with the life of the communities they serve so as to provide consistency of expectations in all aspects of students lives.
Schools can help strengthen the heritage language through the following actions:
a. Make sure the language policies and practices in the school are consistent with the language aspirations of the parents and community, including making allowances for variations of opinion when necessary.
b. Provide follow-through support for local Language Curriculum Advisory Committee recommendations, as well as incentives for students to participate in the heritage language programs that are offered.
c. Establish an easily accessible repository of heritage language resource materials and knowledgeable expertise from the community.
d. Incorporate appropriate traditional values and beliefs with all heritage language teaching.
e. Provide an in-depth cultural and language orientation program for all new teachers and administrators, including participation in an immersion camp with local Elders.
f. Utilize Elders and Native teachers from the local community to acquire a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the local, regional and statewide context in which the students live, particularly as it relates to the well-being and survival of the local culture.
g. Make use of locally produced resource materials in the local language (reports, videos, maps, books, tribal documents, etc.) in all subject areas and work in close collaboration with local agencies to enrich the curriculum beyond the scope of commercially produced texts.
h.
Guidelines for Linguists
Linguists should assist local communities in the development of appropriate resource materials and teaching practices that nurture the use and perpetuation of the heritage language in each respective cultural community.
Linguists can help strengthen heritage languages through the following actions:
a. Identify and utilize the expertise in participating communities to enhance the quality of linguistic data gathering and use caution in applying external frames of reference in its analysis and interpretation.
b. Contribute appropriate linguistic expertise on language teaching, learning, policies and planning in ways that are compatible with the heritage language aspirations of Native communities.
c. Provide encouragement and support for Native students interested in studying their heritage language and/or becoming linguists.
d. Provide support, training, resources and technical assistance to language initiatives on-site in local communities so that maximum heritage language revitalization can be achieved.
e. Help prepare linguistic materials that are of direct benefit to indigenous people in their heritage language efforts.
f.
Guidelines for Education Agencies
Education agencies should provide a supportive policy, program and funding environment that encourages local initiative in the revitalization of the indigenous languages.
Education Agencies can help strengthen indigenous languages through the following actions:
a. Provide ample opportunities for personnel associated with heritage language education to participate in regional and statewide conferences, workshops and other events in which Native educators share their insights and practices around language learning issues.
b. Provide administrative and funding support for local education initiatives (Tribal Schools, Charter Schools, Immersion Programs) aimed at immersing students in their heritage language as the language of instruction in school.
c. Provide support for curriculum materials development in the heritage language in any area where immersion programs are being implemented (including computer-assisted Native language translation capabilities and literacy support).
d. Provide the necessary waivers from existing regulatory requirements to insure that students being taught in their heritage language are not disadvantaged in any way, nor are they discouraged from continuing in a heritage language program of instruction through the highest grade-level available.
e.
General Recommendations
The following recommendation are offered to support the effective implementation of the guidelines for strengthening indigenous languages.
1. The regional Native Educator Associations should sponsor an annual Academy of Elders bringing together Native educators and Elders in an immersion camp setting to help the teachers acquire fluency in their language for use in their teaching.
2. Native language specialists through the regional Native Educator Associations (including Elders) should develop guidelines for assessing fluency and/or levels of proficiency in heritage languages for use in various contexts.
3. Regional Tribal Colleges should provide a support structure for the implementation of these guidelines and the teaching of the heritage languages in each of the respective regions.
4. Federal and state funding support for indigenous language initiatives should be expanded and all Native language funding should be administered through Native-controlled entities.
5. An Alaska Native publishing house should be established to promote and support the publication of Native language materials.
6. The Alaska Native Language Center should establish regionally-based affiliates in each major linguistic region to provide more direct local access to and involvement in the Center's programs and services.
7. The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development should provide incentives to school districts for the implementation of the SB 103 Advisory Committee recommendations.
8. School Districts should provide opportunities and incentives for all new teachers to participate in a language and cultural orientation program appropriate to the area in which they will teach.
9. School Districts should require a Cross-Cultural Specialist Endorsement for all personnel with responsibilities that impact the cultural well-being of the students and communities they serve.
10. The guidelines outlined above should be incorporated in university courses and made an integral part of all teacher preparation and cultural orientation programs.
11. An annotated bibliography of resource materials that address issues associated with indigenous language learning should be maintained on the Alaska Native Knowledge Network web site .
GUIDELINES FOR STRENGTHENING INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES
D R A F T
Sponsored by:
ALASKA FEDERATION OF NATIVES
ALASKA RURAL SYSTEMIC INITIATIVE
ALASKA RURAL CHALLENGE
CENTER FOR CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES
ALASKA NATIVE KNOWLEDGE NETWORK
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
CIULISTET RESEARCH ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION OF INTERIOR NATIVE EDUCATORS
SOUTHEAST NATIVE EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION
NORTH SLOPE INUPIAQ EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION OF NATIVE EDUCATORS OF THE LOWER KUSKOKWIM
ASSOCIATION OF NORTHWEST NATIVE EDUCATORS
NATIVE EDUCATORS OF THE ALUTIIQ REGION
ASSOCIATION OF UNANGAN/UNANGAS EDUCATORS
ALASKA NATIVE EDUCATION STUDENT ASSOCIATION
ALASKA NATIVE EDUCATION COUNCIL
ALASKA FIRST NATIONS RESEARCH NETWORK
CONSORTIUM FOR ALASKA NATIVE HIGHER EDUCATION
Draft for consideration by the
Assembly of Alaska Native Educators
Anchorage, Alaska
February 4, 2001
2
10
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Subject:
[sovernspeakout] Draft Alaskan Guidelines For Nurturing Culturally Healthy Youth Date:
Tue, 16 Jan 2001 07:45:17 -0800 From:
Don <dbain@telus.net> Reply-To:
sovernspeakout@egroups.com Organization:
Lheidli T'enneh Nation
from haa-ai@egroups.com
Draft Alaskan Guidelines For Nurturing Culturally Healthy Youth
Comments to: Ray Barnhardt <ffrjb@aurora.alaska.edu>
-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Topkok [mailto:fncst@aurora.uaf.edu]
Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 10:49 PM
To: ANKN List
Subject: [Fwd: New Guideline Drafts]
-------- Original Message --------
Emne: New Guideline Drafts
Fra: Ray Barnhardt <ffrjb@aurora.alaska.edu>
Til: fncst
Hi Sean,
Please note that two DRAFT documents have been posted on the ANKN listserv for your review and feedback: The "Guidelines for Nurturing Culturally Healthy Youth" and the "Guidelines for Strengthening Indigenous Languages" were generated out of two workshops this past year as an extension of the process that led to the development of the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools in 1998. These draft documents are to be taken up for final review and adoption at the 2001 Native Educators' Conference in Anchorage on Feb. 4. We are requesting that you take some time to review the drafts and provide feedback on any aspect of either document to Ray Barnhardt at ffrjb@uaf.edu, so we can get an up-dated version ready for the NEC work sessioon in a few weeks. Also, please refer these documents to other people who may be interested in commenting on them. If you have any questions, get in touch with me at any time.
Thanks for you assistance . . . . Ray
GUIDELINES FOR NURTURING CULTURALLY HEALTHY YOUTH
The following guidelines address issues of concern in the application of traditional child-rearing and parenting practices in nurturing culturally healthy youth in the contemporary world. The guidelines are organized around various roles related to child-rearing, including those of Elders, parents, communities, professional educators, child-care providers, family services agencies, and the youth themselves. Special attention is given to the educational implications for the integration of traditional child-rearing and parenting practices in schools throughout Alaska. The guidance offered in the following pages is intended to encourage the incorporation of traditional knowledge and teaching practices in all aspects of the lives of children and youth, including that which occurs in classroom settings. It is hoped that these guidelines will help to more fully nurture the social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual development of Alaska's youth.
Native educators from throughout the state contributed to the development of these guidelines through a series of workshops and meetings associated with the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative. Representatives of the Native educator organizations listed on the cover participated in the meetings and ratified the final document. The purpose of these guidelines is to offer assistance to educational personnel and others who are seeking to incorporate the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools (including those for students and communities) in their work. Using these guidelines will expand the knowledge base and range of insights and expertise available to help communities nurture healthy, confident, responsible and well-rounded young adults.
Throughout this document, Elders are accorded a central role as the
primary source of cultural knowledge. It should be understood that the
identification of "Elders" as culture-bearers is not simply a matter of
chronological age, but a function of the respect accorded to individuals
in each community who exemplify the values and lifeways of the local
culture and who possess the wisdom and willingness to pass their
knowledge on to future generations. Respected Elders serve as the
philosophers, professors and visionaries of a cultural community. In
addition, many aspects of cultural knowledge can be learned from other
members of a community who have not yet been recognized as Elders, but
seek to practice and teach local lifeways in culturally appropriate ways
Along with these "guidelines" are a set of "general recommendations" aimed at stipulating the kind of steps that need to be taken to achieve the goals for which they are intended. State and federal agencies, universities, school districts and Native communities are all encouraged to review their policies, programs and practices and to adopt these guidelines and recommendations wherever appropriate. In so doing, the educational development of students throughout Alaska will be enriched and the future well-being of the communities being served will be enhanced.
Further information on issues related to the implementation of these guidelines, as well as additional copies may be obtained from the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775 (http://www.ankn.uaf.edu).
Guidelines for Native Elders Respected Native Elders are the essential role models who can share the knowledge and expertise on traditional child-rearing and parenting that is needed to nurture the cultural well-being of today's youth.
Native Elders may help nurture culturally healthy youth through the following actions:
a. Participate in local and regional Elders Councils as a way to help formulate, document and pass on traditional child-rearing and parenting practices for future generations.
b. Help make explicit and incorporate locally appropriate cultural values in all aspects of life in the community, especially those involving children and youth.
c. Make a point to utilize traditional ways of knowing, teaching, listening and learning in passing on cultural knowledge to younger generations in the community.
d. Serve as a role model and mentor for young people by practicing and reinforcing traditional values and appropriate behaviors in the everyday life of the community.
e. Assist new parents in learning the knowledge and skills needed to carry out their role as care-givers and the first teachers of their children.
f. Support the use of traditional naming practices and help children and parents understand the significance of the names they have acquired.
g. Encourage and support Alaska Native language programs in the community and school.
h. Make an effort to help young people understand the world around them and how it has changed from the world in which previous generations were raised.
i. Assist willing members of the community to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to assume the role of Elder for future generations.
j.
Guidelines for Parents Parents are the first teachers of their children and provide the foundation on which the social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual well-being of future generations rests.
Parents may help nurture culturally healthy youth through the following actions:
a. Provide a loving, healthy and supportive environment for each child to grow and achieve their fullest potential from pre-natal through to adulthood (talk to the child in the womb).
b. Seek out successful parents/grandparents in the community who can serve as role models for providing a nurturing family and home environment.
c. Utilize the traditional disciplining roles of uncles, aunts, Elders and other authority figures in the community to help children learn what is right and wrong in a constructive way.
d. Participate as a family and encourage children to become actively involved in cultural activities and learn the traditional values of the community.
e. Set aside time each day and/or week for family-oriented activities, including extended family members whenever possible.
f. Establish parenting circles in the community that provide an opportunity for young parents to share their joys and frustrations and learn from each others experience.
g. Make use of traditional naming practices where appropriate and help each child understand the significance of the names they carry.
h. Participate in activities that help make the schooling experiences of each child an extension of their home and community life (e.g., adopt-a-teacher program).
i. Reinforce the locally identified cultural values and rules of behavior in all family activities and encourage other members of the community to do the same.
j. Wherever appropriate and possible, assist children in learning and using their heritage language.
k. Help children understand their family history and the heritage(s) that shape who they are and form their identity.
l. Make use of locally appropriate rituals and ceremonies to reinforce the critical events in children's lives.
m.
Guidelines for Youth Culturally healthy youth take an active interest in learning their heritage and assume responsibility for their role as contributing members of the family and community in which they live.
Youth may nurture their own cultural well-being through the following actions:
a. Seek to acquire all the knowledge and skills associated with the "cultural standards for students" as stipulated in the "Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools," and the "skills for a healthy life" as outlined in the "Content and Performance Standards for Alaska Students."
b. Participate as much as possible in subsistence activities with parents, Elders and other members of the community.
c. Become actively involved in local activities and organizations that contribute to the quality of life in your community.
d. Explore and get involved in regional, state and national issues and organizations that impact your community as a way to help develop the knowledge and skills needed to become a steward of your own future.
e. Make healthy choices in lifestyles that contribute to the wholeness and well-being of yourself and those around you.
f. Always be a good role model and provide support to others in the way you would like them to be supportive of you.
g.
Guidelines for Communities, Tribes, Clans Communities must provide a healthy and supportive environment that reinforces the values and behaviors its members wish to instill in their future generations.
Communities may help nurture culturally healthy youth through the following actions:
a. Incorporate the cultural standards for communities and parents into daily life, as stipulated in the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools.
b. Strengthen the parenting roles as reflected in traditional kinship structures, such that child-rearing is adopted as a collective responsibility in which everyone participates as a care-giver in support of the parents and child.
c. Promote healthy community activities and supportive organizations.
d. Organize local and regional planning meetings that lead to a consensus on strategies for consistent support of young people from all the sectors of the community that impact their lives (home, school, Elders, church, community organizations, cultural events, media etc.)
e. Set a good example for, and engage youth in all aspects of community life.
f. Adopt and take seriously the adage, "It takes the whole village to raise a child.".
g. Foster the incorporation of traditional knowledge, values and beliefs in all aspects of community life and institutional practices.
h. Implement tribal courts that utilize traditional healing, restitution and rehabilitation practices to deal with youth who have committed serious infractions of communal rules, expectations and protocols.
i.
Guidelines for Professional Educators Professional educators (teachers, principals, counselors) are responsible for providing a supportive learning environment that reinforces the cultural well-being of the students in their care.
Professional educators may help nurture culturally healthy youth through the following actions::
a. Learn how to use traditional child-rearing and parenting practices to link the knowledge base of the school to that of the community.
b. Make effective use of local expertise, especially Elders, as co-teachers whenever local cultural knowledge is being addressed in the curriculum.
c. Take steps to recognize and validate all aspects of the knowledge students bring with them, and assist them in their on-going quest for personal and cultural affirmation.
d. Develop the observation and listening skills necessary to acquire an in-depth understanding of the knowledge system indigenous to the local community and apply that understanding in teaching practice.
e. Carefully review all curriculum resource materials to insure cultural accuracy and appropriateness.
f. Make every effort to utilize locally relevant curriculum materials with which students can readily identify, including materials prepared by Alaska Native authors.
g. Provide sufficient flexibility in scheduling Elder participation so they are able to fully share what they know with minimal interference by the clock, and provide enough advance notice for them to make the necessary preparations.
h. Align all subject matter with the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools and develop curriculum models that are based on the local cultural and environmental experiences of the students.
i. Recognize the importance of cultural and intellectual property rights in teaching practice and honor such rights in all aspects of the selection and utilization of curriculum resources.
j.
Guidelines for Schools Schools must be fully engaged with the life of the communities they serve so as to provide consistency of expectations in all aspects of students lives.
Schools may help nurture culturally healthy youth through the following actions:
a. Establish an easily accessible repository of culturally appropriate resource materials and a reliable process for the daily involvement of knowledgeable expertise, including respected Elders, from the community.
b. Include the voices of representatives from the local culture in the curriculum materials used in the school.
c. Utilize the natural environment of the community to move educational activities beyond the classroom as a way of fostering place-based education and deepening the learning experiences of students.
d. Support the implementation of an Elders-in-Residence program in each school and classroom.
e. Provide an in-depth cultural orientation program for all new teachers and administrators.
f. Promote the incorporation of the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools in all aspects of the school curriculum, while demonstrating their applicability in providing multiple avenues to meet the State Content Standards.
g. Utilize Elders and Native teachers from the local community to acquire a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the local, regional and statewide context in which the students live, particularly as it relates to the well-being and survival of the local culture.
h. Make use of locally produced resource materials (reports, videos, maps, books, tribal documents, etc.) in all subject areas and work in close collaboration with local agencies to enrich the curriculum beyond the scope of commercially produced texts.
i.
Guidelines for Child-care Providers Child-care providers should draw upon Elders and other local experts to utilize traditional child-rearing and parenting practices that nurture the values and behaviors appropriate to the respective cultural community.
Child-care providers may help nurture culturally healthy youth through the following actions:
a. Incorporate parents and other knowledgeable members of the surrounding cultural community to the maximum extent possible in all aspects of child-care and family services.
b. Utilize traditional toys, games, songs, language, foods and related activities whenever possible and appropriate to establish consistency between experiences in child-care and at home.
c. Insure that all child-care workers are knowledgeable about and have first-hand experience in the cultural and family contexts from which the children are drawn (i.e., hire/train local child-care providers).
d. Provide all child-care supervisors and workers with appropriate training and understanding of requirements in areas related to the Indian Child Welfare Act, special needs children, evidence of child abuse, FAS/FAE, health and safety issues, referral services, etc.
e. Encourage sponsoring organizations to implement family-friendly employment practices that encourage maximum parental involvement in the up-bringing of their children.
f.
Guidelines for Youth and Family Services and Justice Agencies Youth and family service and justice agencies should provide a supportive policy, program and funding environment that encourages local initiative in the application of traditional child-rearing and parenting practices.
Youth and family services and justice agencies may help nurture culturally healthy youth through the following actions:
a. Emphasize cooperative approaches that nurture the intrinsic good in the youth with whom you work, and seek to minimize reliance on threats, punishment and extrinsic forms of motivation to achieve obedient behavior (i.e., focus on reinforcing good behavior over punishing bad).
b. Implement practices that focus on prevention, traditional healing, restitution and rehabilitation as avenue of first resort in dealing with youth who have committed serious infractions of communal rules, expectations and protocols.
c. Work with local communities to adopt correction policies and practices oriented toward education, prevention, remediation, restitution, rehabilitation and healing in culturally appropriate ways
d. Utilize talking/healing/sentencing circles to foster a climate of introspection, support and remediation when seeking to achieve corrective action and rehabilitation.
e. Whenever possible, promote participation and integration of youth into the surrounding society, rather than removal and separation for infractions or anti-social behavior.
f.
Guidelines for Researchers Researchers should work with local communities to help document traditional child-rearing and parenting practices and explore their applicability to the upbringing of today's youth.
Researchers may help nurture culturally healthy youth through the following actions:
a. Effectively identify and utilize the expertise in participating communities to enhance the quality of data gathering as well as the data itself, and use caution in applying external frames of reference in its analysis and interpretation.
b. Insure controlled access for sensitive cultural information that has not been explicitly authorized for general distribution, as determined by members of the local community.
c. Submit research plans as well as results for review by a locally knowledgeable group and abide by its recommendations to the maximum extent possible, including ample time for accurate data gathering to take place.
d. Provide full disclosure of funding sources, sponsors, institutional affiliations and reviewers.
e. Include explicit recognition of all research contributors in the final report and provide copies to all participating individuals, communities and organizations.
f. Abide by the research principles and guidelines established by the Alaska Federation of Natives and other state, national and international organizations representing indigenous peoples.
g.
Guidelines for Media Producers The producers of mass media should assume responsibility for providing culturally balanced materials and programming that reinforce positive cultural values and enrich the lives of youth.
Media producers may help nurture culturally healthy youth through the following actions:
a. Whenever possible, utilize a panel of local experts rather than a single source to corroborate translation and interpretation of language materials, as well as to construct words for new terms.
b. Encourage the use and teaching of the local language in ways that provide appropriate context for conveying accurate meaning and interpretation, including an appreciation for the subtleties of story construction, use of metaphor and oratorical skills.
c. Provide Elders with opportunities and support to share what they know in the local language.
d. Whenever possible, utilize simultaneous translation equipment at meetings to facilitate the use of the local language.
e. Prepare curriculum resource materials that utilize the local language, so as to make it as easy as possible for teachers to draw upon the local language in their teaching.
f.
Guidelines for the General Public As the world around us grows ever smaller, we must all assume greater responsibility for nurturing the diverse traditions by which each child grows to become a culturally healthy human being.
Members of the general public may help nurture culturally healthy youth through the following actions:
a. Treat children and youth from all backgrounds with honor, dignity and respect and involve them in the activities of everyday life to the maximum extent possible - this is how they learn to become contributing adults.
b. Encourage and support Native peoples' efforts to apply their own child-rearing and parenting practices in the up-bringing of their children.
c. Contribute to and participate respectfully in local cultural events to gain a better understanding of the range of cultural traditions that strive to coexist in Alaska.
d. Make room in all community events for multiple cultural traditions to be represented.
General Recommendations
The following recommendation are offered to support the effective implementation of the guidelines for nurturing culturally healthy youth.
1. The Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools should be used as a general guide for any educational activity involving nurturing culturally healthy youth.
2. Community and regional entities should pursue the re-establishment of traditional disciplining, restitution and rehabilitation programs through tribal courts, sentencing circles, Elder's counseling and other forms of culturally appropriate remediation practices.
3. State and federal criminal justice systems and associated youth facilities should work with local communities to adopt correction policies and practices oriented toward education, prevention, remediation, restitution, rehabilitation and healing in culturally appropriate ways, with incarceration and isolation the punishment of last resort, especially for misdemeanors and non-violent infractions.
4. The Department of Education and Early Development should expand the focus of the annual Bilingual/Multicultural Education Conference to include an emphasis on traditional child-rearing and parenting (possibly alternating themes from year to year).
5. Each Regional Health Corporation should sponsor an annual regional gathering around the themes of traditional child-rearing and parenting, including opportunities for men and women to meet independently to discuss their own concerns.
6. All regional Elders conferences should include traditional child-rearing and parenting as a theme whereby the Elders are able to contribute to the development of contemporary child-rearing practices aimed at nurturing culturally healthy youth.
7. Parenting Circles should be established in every community to provide an opportunity for young parents to interact regularly with one another and other knowledgeable community members around issues of child-rearing and parenting.
8. As regional Tribal Colleges are established, they should provide a support structure for the implementation of these guidelines in each of their respective regions.
9. The guidelines outlined above should be incorporated in university courses and made an integral part of all professional preparation and cultural orientation programs.
10. An annotated bibliography of resource materials that address issues associated with traditional child-rearing and parenting should be maintained on the Alaska Native Knowledge Network web site (www.ankn.uaf.edu).
GUIDELINES FOR NURTURING CULTURALLY HEALTHY YOUTH
D R A F T
Sponsored by:
ALASKA FEDERATION OF NATIVES
ALASKA RURAL SYSTEMIC INITIATIVE
ALASKA RURAL CHALLENGE
CENTER FOR CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES
ALASKA NATIVE KNOWLEDGE NETWORK
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
CIULISTET RESEARCH ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION OF INTERIOR NATIVE EDUCATORS
SOUTHEAST NATIVE EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION
NORTH SLOPE INUPIAQ EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION OF NATIVE EDUCATORS OF THE LOWER KUSKOKWIM
ASSOCIATION OF NORTHWEST NATIVE EDUCATORS
NATIVE EDUCATORS OF THE ALUTIIQ REGION
ASSOCIATION OF UNANGAN/UNANGAS EDUCATORS
ALASKA NATIVE EDUCATION STUDENT ASSOCIATION
ALASKA NATIVE EDUCATION COUNCIL
ALASKA FIRST NATIONS RESEARCH NETWORK
CONSORTIUM FOR ALASKA NATIVE HIGHER EDUCATION
Draft for consideration by the
Assembly of Alaska Native Educators
Anchorage, Alaska
February 4, 2001
